Moonstruck is a fund raising event organised by a local radio station, 567 CapeTalk, on behalf of the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI). Held in February each year on Clifton 4'th beach, Moonstruck is an evening of music and fun - a date where friends and families get together to listen to good music and to share in a picnic on what must be Cape Town's best beach.
Today was extremely hot and there wasn't a breath of wind in Cape Town tonight. With the exception of cloud cover, it was the perfect night for Moonstruck. The very talented band entertained us with cover songs such as Piano Man, Hey Jude, Brown Eyed Girl, Substitute, Sweet Caroline and a brilliant rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody.
If you're in Cape Town in February next year, tune your radio in to 567 CapeTalk (Medium Wave, not FM), or listen to them on streaming audio to get details about Moonstruck 2009.
This poor fellow apparently had friends who insisted on a bit of fun the night before his wedding. Clothed in a tight-fitting dress, purple stockings, slippers and a black stocking as head-dress, he was made to wander around the V&A Waterfront asking curious onlookers for money to pay for the first honeymoon night with his bride. His entire outing was captured on video, of course - no doubt for the bride's future amusement.
The Sour Fig, affectionately know as Carpobrotus Edulis by the horticultural world, is one of the common plant species that you'll see in and around the Cape Peninsula. This succulent plant seems to like the hot weather and African sun almost as much as we do. Interestingly, the Wikipedia article seems to hold a low weed-like impression of the species, describing ways in which this invasive plant can be removed from the soil.
Contrary to the tone of the article, I really like the plant. I would imagine that the rapid-spreading mat-like structure it forms helps a great deal to prevent the erosion of our sand dunes... and oh, the bright flowers dotted among the deep green leaves are kinda pretty as well.
I'm pretty sure that our British friends will know all about Britannia. From what I've learned, Britannia was a goddess figure in the Roman empire several hundred years ago. Eventually, after the fall of the Roman empire, Britannia was used as a symbol of the British navy.
Now I have to wonder what is Britannia doing in Long Street, Cape Town? I'm pretty sure that this status must have it's origins in the time of British colonial rule of the Cape Colony. If you do happen to know what she's doing in Cape Town, please do let us know.
The suburb of Observatory is filled with all types of interesting people. In case you can't make out what's written on this car's roof rack, it reads "Gregz Art". This artwork consists of an old piece of wood, some electronic bits and pieces, an oil can, some plants and a few other odds and ends.
While being interesting, it's become evident to me that my ability to appreciate art is not as well developed as perhaps it should be. What do you think? Does this appeal to you?
Observatory was considered a "grey" area for years before the abolishment of apartheid. It's always been inhabited by many people of different cultures and colours. Still the same today, Observatory has adopted a New Age atmosphere, evident in the shops lining it's streets. It even has a monthly Holistic Market at the community centre where one can buy items from crystals to didgeridoos.
It didn't look as though this couple was taking a walk on Long Beach to get fit - they strolled along at a more than comfortable pace.
With the high incidence of divorce, it's great to see older couples still taking walks together on the beach. Our world is a busy one and it's easy to live past one another.
I guess that it won't be easy to tell, but I do wonder how many CTDP readers still go for walks with their partners.
The reason that I'm posting this photo is because of the sheer effort that I went to to snap it. I took it at Tweede Waterval (Second Waterfall), a few kilometres along a hiking trail in Jonkershoek Nature Reserve. Precariously balancing my camera on a ledge with water dripping just past the front of the lens, I stood perched below the camera over a body of beautifully clear water. We ran out of time and didn't actually reach the waterfall so I had to settle for this smaller specimen.
The 9800ha Jonkershoek Nature Reserve is located just outside of Stellenbosch and forms part of the Boland mountain range. One thing that we noticed while walking along the hiking trail was the diversity of the vegetation. While walking the trail, with fynbos pressing in all around, it was apparent how many different species of plants there were within an arm's length. In fact, I've just learned that there are more than 1100 plant species in the reserve.
Even though this reserve is home to the leopard, honey badger, klipspringer, and mongoose - we never saw a single large animal. What we did see was a rather strange and scared lizard (looking much like a dinosaur) and a little water snake.
Incidentally, after reading an article on Cape Nature's website, I discovered that the reserve is home to the Mountain Adder, Puff Adder, Tree Snake and Cape Cobra. I guess I'll have to take more care next time when rushing along the winding paths.
It was a lazy day in Cape Town. Some folks from in and around Johannesburg would argue that every day in Cape Town is a lazy day. Apparently we have a reputation of being far too laid back here at the southern tip of Africa. I guess this photo suggests that even our security forces are laid back! :)
Actually, our security forces work hard to keep our city centre safe. I've heard reports that our CBD is the safest in the country - this I believe is thanks to a modern CCTV system and high police visibility.
We split our time between two tech-related events in Cape Town last night. After a relaxed GeekDinner at Sloppy Sam in Green Point, we drove down to Long Street in the city centre for a noisy gathering of bloggers, organised by Vincent and Matthew, the founders of Amatomu.
This shot was taken at the second event, the Bloggerati get-together at Long Street Cafe. We had a great time at both venues, and met plenty of interesting people we'd previously only known from the Internet. ;-)
Excellent news: Stormhoek kindly sponsored the wine for GeekDinner - and we learnt, with great excitement, that their awesome wine is now available from Pick 'n Pay stores across the Western Cape. If you're in Cape Town, get some now, before we beat you to it.
A little bit of Internet sleuthing led me to conclude that this goose (photographed at Cape Garden Centre) is a male Spur-winged goose. I nosed around on wikipedia until I found a goose fitting this description (black and white, with red markings on the face); I then discovered that the males of the species are the ones who have a red patch on the face. I could be completely wrong about all this, of course, so if you're an expert on waterfowl, please leave a comment!
Anyhow, it's pretty unusual to see a guy staying at home to take care of the kids, don't you think? ;-)
Spier (pronounced "spear", with a silent "r") wine estate has lovely parks with well-kept green lawns and benches where visitors can while away the time. Kerry-Anne lay on the ground reading a book while I took copious photos of everything I could lay my lens on.
Spier is a great place to spend some time relaxing. Picnic baskets and wine can be bought from a shop on the estate and there's a small play-park and stream where kids can play. When visiting Cape Town, do make a point of stopping by at Spier.
Formal and informal car guards are an unavoidable part of a motorist's life in Cape Town, and in fact all over South Africa. Identified by official-looking bibs, their only source of income is tips offered by grateful vehicle owners. Even though car guards are often ignored, insulted and brushed aside, they seem to carry on with their job, undeterred.
I once sat in a shopping mall parking lot watching a guard direct vehicles into parking bays. I watched him help drivers reverse out of bays ensuring that they didn't reverse into something or someone. I watched five vehicles leave without giving a nod, a thank-you, or a tip. I wonder how many people realise that many of the guards are refugees waiting for their citizenship; highly educated and qualified; many with Master's and Doctorate degrees... in many cases more educated than most of their clients.
Many people believe that unofficial car guards should not be tipped. Many believe that official ones should be paid by the company employing them - though in most cases this is not the case. My viewpoint is different from this. I'm grateful that there are always three or four guards around to make sure that thugs don't harass Kerry-Anne while she's packing groceries into the car. I'm grateful that they warn me to stop reversing when a toddler runs in behind my car.
Thanks guys - even though you're unappreciated, there are many who value your service. You rock!
Disclaimer: Once in a while we do come across unscrupulous "car guards" who are just out to make a quick buck and have no interest in providing a service. They normally don't have an official bib; these guys I don't tip.
Cape Garden Centre has plants for Africa. If you're confused by this and thinking to yourself, "What? Plants for Africa?", then I'm guessing that you're not South African. Translated into normal-speak it could read "Cape Garden Centre has a lot of plants". For us the expression has nothing to do with the continent of Africa or its size.
Until a year or so ago I hadn't given the expression a second thought. Then, one day when preparing to visit family in Australia, I thought about it and suddenly realised that I couldn't imagine them saying "Woolworths has sweets for Australia" to mean that they had plenty of sweets...
If I were a bird, then I think this is just the kind of place I'd want to stop at for a bite to eat. Welcoming, homely, and unpretentious... what do you think?
These bird feeders, which we spotted at Cape Garden Centre, appeared to be hand-made, and cost just R180 each. Kerry-Anne made it very clear to me that when we move into our new home at the end of March, she's going to buy one and hang in one of our trees, so that she can entice the birdies in to entertain our cats. (For the record, our cats don't catch birds, but they do love to lie in the garden and watch them.)
We spotted this dinosaur just in time to alert authorities. Many escaped certain harm, and a national tragedy was narrowly averted.
Actually, we came across this inflatable creature just outside Cape Garden Centre (a plant nursery in the northern suburbs), and just in case you were taken in by my newsflash above, let me calm your shaky nerves - it wasn't real. :) In addition to plenty of plants, a few koi ponds, some shops and a restaurant, Cape Garden Centre features a huge playpark for children, with a number of attractions, including Duncan the Dinosaur above.
Click here to see what this green monster has been up to.
Today's post is the last in my trio of surfing photos. It's been very hot in Cape Town, and it's set to get hotter, with February normally being the hottest month of the year.
Although I'm told that our winter months are better for surfing, I'm pretty sure that the beaches will be filled with many surfers and ever more wannabe surfers.
There are surfers and then there are surfers. I love the latter - the traditional carefree, slightly off-the-wall and slightly odd surfer. I'm not one of this breed, but if you are, you rock! The beach - nay, the world - wouldn't be the same without you.
Long Beach in Kommetjie is a little far from the city, but worth the drive if you're into surfing, bodyboarding, or bodysurfing. Speaking about bodyboarders - a surfer-friend of mine casually told me a little while ago that surfers refer to bodyboarders as speedbumps - heh - so if you're in the water on your bodyboard, just stay way clear of the surfers.
This guy was so young, yet he surfed like a pro. I snapped this shot while taking a walk along Long Beach. To me it looks like an awesome place to learn to surf - no rocks, moderately-sized waves and a long, stretched-out beachfront.
To all of you who hazarded a guess as to what was happening in yesterday's photo: There were a few good guesses, but what I think happened was that he had grabbed his friend's backpack and run off into the waves - to tease him, I suppose. And oh yes, that photo was taken at Small Bay, close to Big Bay in Table View - that would be Robben Island in the background.
Here's a question for you: What do you suppose this guy was doing with (what appeared to be) a backpack? There wasn't a boat in sight. There was another guy to the right of this photo, also walking towards the beach. Leave a comment telling me what you think happened and/or what was going on. Tomorrow I'll tell you what I think happened.
On an unrelated note, that's Robben Island that you see in the background. While I'm in the Q&A mood - which beach do you think we were at?
Today's post shows a bit of what I tried to explain a few days ago. Today was pretty hot but as the sun began to set we watched this cloud bank move in over Table Mountain. While summer is filled with plenty of beautifully hot nights, every now and again something happens and it becomes really chilly in the City.
I really hope that the folk that were on top of Table Mountain, watching the sun set, took warm clothing along.
Drinks at the Blue Peter Hotel have become somewhat of a summer tradition for many Capetonians. On any hot day the front of the hotel is likely to look much like this, with a lucky few managing to find spots under the umbrellas, on wooden benches, while the rest relax on the grass embankment overlooking the ocean.
Disclaimer: While the view from the benches and embankment is spectacular, and while it's a lovely place to have drinks, I've never found the food here anything to write home about.
Today was the memorial service for Kerry-Anne's brother, who passed away last week Friday. The memorial was held at Mel's Village Kitchen in Rondebosch - thanks to Mel and her staff for making the occasion run as smoothly as it did.
After the memorial service, Kerry-Anne's other brother took her parents and us out for dinner to Leesia's, a Greek restaurant in Rondebosch. The food was superb and the service just as good. Normally we don't like empty restaurants, but for some reason the popular Leesia's was quiet this evening, which turned out to be just what we needed after a fairly tough day.
Our fridge ran out of meal options for us this evening. What were we to do but go out for dinner? A friend mentioned that he'd been to the new Keg & Highlander pub restaurant at the Glen Garry shopping centre in Brackenfell.
Now you have to understand, Brackenfell has NEVER been renowned for good restaurants - not food-wise, and not service-wise. Despite the odds, we decided to give them a chance and visited for dinner this evening. Though I guess I shouldn't speak too soon, we both have the feeling that we may have struck upon a gem. The food and service were both excellent; but shhhh.... don't jinx it!
We came across a small ferris wheel in a small open-air shopping centre in the small northern suburb of Eversdal. The courtyard was deserted.
I managed to take a few shots before the appearance of a rather unconvincing security guard, warning me that photos were not permitted. I considered snapping one of him - but figured that that would be just rude. I asked him why photos were not allowed, but alas, this he could not answer.
I was tempted to get annoyed with him, but then sense prevailed. He knew no more than I and was simply doing what his boss had told him to do. I smiled and we parted ways.
I don't think the northern suburbs of Cape Town are very accustomed to tourists. I can only imagine a tour bus stopping at the centre one day. Click, click-click, click. :D
Unbeknown to Kerry-Anne and I, our walk in the Assegaaibosch Nature Reserve led us through leopard country. Fortunately for us, it's extremely rare for hikers to come across leopards in the bush... they're very wary of humans and though they may be close by at times, the chance of spotting a leopard (*grin*) is quite small.
This photo is of the Cape-Dutch-style homestead that was home to the original owner of the Assegaaibosch farm, Wouter Eduard Wium.
Monday was a scorcher of a day - it was seriously hot - there was no need to light up a braai (barbecue) - we just left our meat outside for 15 minutes and voila, it was ready to eat! :)
In this post from a few days ago, I mentioned that Cape Town's weather is particularly fickle. Days can start off really hot and end with a chilly wind and even rain. Today was no exception to the fickle-rule. After yesterday's heat-wave, today was cloudy with rain... a refreshing break from the summer heat.
Disclaimer: This photo of Table View was not taken today, although the weather looked just like this - we're still a little too preoccupied to be out and about taking photos, so are using up a few of our stock shots.
Danie Craven (aka Doc Craven), a South African rugby legend from the 1930s, is honoured here at Coetzenburg Sports Centre in Stellenbosch.
One of the rugby greats from old, he was arguably the best Springbok coach ever, and has been recognised as one of the world's top rugby administrators. Though not with us anymore, Doc Craven holds a position of great respect in the hearts and minds of South African - indeed even international - rugby supporters.
Kerry-Anne rescued Ludwig from the raging stream running through the Assegaaibosch Nature Reserve last week. Ludwig the Grasshopper was first mistaken for a Locust, hence the name Ludwig, though we later became unsure - as apparently the only actual difference between the two is that Locusts swarm whereas Grasshoppers don't (and Ludwig didn't appear to be swarming when we found him).
Still dripping wet in this photo, Ludwig was soon released back onto a nearby tree branch - but only after being given a stern talking-to about not swimming directly after a meal.
It's with great sadness that I write today to tell you of the passing of a son, a brother, a husband, father and friend. Kerry-Anne's brother passed away on Friday morning South African time.
Paul Sharpe, you'll be missed by everyone who knew you. You were a good son, a fantastic brother, an adoring husband, a loving father and a great friend. Our thoughts and prayers go with you wherever your journey leads you. Peace be with you.
Paul was taken by a heart attack while playing with his dog after dinner. He leaves his wife and two kids in Sydney, Australia as well as his mom, dad, brother and sister back here in South Africa.
